When I received the DVD for “13 Going on 30”, I immediately had the impression that I was in for a re-hash of the Tom Hanks classic “Big” (is it really old enough to be called a classic), or even worse that it was the beginning of a flood of body-swapping / age-switching movies just waiting to be released. Fortunately, I was wrong on both counts. Jennifer Garner stars as Jenna Rink, well not at first, but later. Jenna is introduced to us as a 12 year old ‘geek’ (Christa B. Allen), who like most ‘geeks’, wants desperately to be part of the ‘cool’ crowd.’ At her 13th birthday party, as you might expect, the ‘cool’ girls decide to play a joke on her which involves putting her in the closet to wait for a game of Seven Minutes of Heaven with ‘super-cool’ stud, Chris. When they leave her in there, she takes all of her anger out on her best friend Matt (Sean Marquette) and ends up alone, crying on the closet floor. She wishes that she could be “30, Flirty & Thriving”, just like the people in her favorite magazine, “Poise.”

From that point on, “13 Going on 30” becomes a lesson in the adage, “…be careful what you wish for…”

It’s hard not to make comparisons to “Big”, simply because the premise is so similar. However, I was surprised to find that “13 Going on 30” stands on its own two feet, and Jennifer Garner proves herself to be a first rate comic actress. Most of us are used to her as the butt kicking Sydney on television’s “Alias”, or as butt kicking Elektra in the feature film “Daredevil.” Who knew that she could break from the mold that had been created and turn in a fine comedic performance? She actually brings a fresh perspective to what is, by some, considered to be a tired premise.

Director Gary Winick, who had previously directed the highly underrated “Tadpole”, also did an excellent job of taking the film and turning into more of a character study than all out slapstick comedy. I think this is what made the film stand out amongst some of other romantic comedies this year. It would have been too easy to take the fantasy element and milk it for all the sight gags that one would associate with the subject. Though there are some references you will see coming a mile away, such as Jenna’s shock when she realizes she is a bit more… endowed… than she was just the day before. But these jokes run by quickly as opposed to be run into the ground.

I’ve really begun to enjoy Mark Ruffalo’s roles lately, and here he plays the older Matt. His reactions to seeing Jenna again after so many years are priceless, as well as poignant. After all, he was the overweight kid who loved her almost 20 years ago, and here she is acting like he’s still her best friend. It was also great to see Andy Serkis in an actual onscreen performance, as opposed to having the CGI image of Gollum digitally replace him. He proves that he is quite a talented actor, and even though word has it that he will next stand in for “King Kong” in Peter Jackson’s remake, I hope we see more of the real Andy in the future.

Sony / Columbia Tristar is releasing the DVD this month for “13 Going on 30”, and like the film itself, was somewhat of a surprise. There are quite a number of extras, most of which were much better than I expected. There are two commentaries, the first by Winick, who proves himself to be a very engaging speaker. He sounds quite comfortable behind the microphone and actually talks about things the audience wants to hear, instead of using a lot of boring technical jargon. The second commentary is by the film’s producers, Gina Matthews, Susan Arnold and Donna Arkoff Roth. This one sounds a little more like a coffee klatch, but is no less interesting.

There are a ton of deleted scenes, too many really, but if you’re into that sort of thing go for it. There are no explanations for any of the scenes so you’re left kind of on your own to figure out where they might have belonged. The Blooper Reel is fairly funny, but like most, isn’t really long enough. I did like the ‘Making of…” featurette, as it wasn’t just one of those promotional puff pieces, and being that I was soooo into the 80’s, really got a kick out of the Pat Benatar and Rick Springfield videos. (I actually used to think Springfield was a totally underrated performer whose concerts were incredibly energetic… I know… don’t say it…).

There’s also a couple of games that test your ‘fashion sense’ and memory of today’s conveniences compared to the 80’s, the but the standout feature of the disc has to be “I Was a Teenage Geek.” All of the main leads (Garner, Ruffalo, Serkis, and Judy Greer) get the opportunity to talk about how much of a geek they all were back in high school, complete with pictures to back up their stories.

“13 Going on 30” is one of the better romantic comedies of the year, and one that I was pleasantly surprised to find was far more entertaining than I would have imagined.

Directed by: Gary Winick
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis
Extras: 18 Deleted and Extended Scenes, Blooper Reel, Two Filmmaker Audio Commentaries, “I Was a Teenage Geek” Featurette, “The Making of 13 Going on 30”, Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield” and Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” Music Videos, “The 80’s Outfit Challenge”, “Then and now” Featurettes.
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound v
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 8/3/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Some Sexual Content and Brief Drug References)
Website

We'll give 13 Going on 30 a B-.